Mei Generis

Notice: The article below is written for Uusi Rovaniemi, property of Lapin Kansa Oy.

Every September I encounter a burdensome situation. I am leaving my native land and moving back to Finland. I am in between countries with totally different cultural wavelengths. And when cultures are colliding, cultural shock might set in. My first weeks in Finland are always ones of adjustment and stress. I am now packing for Helsinki where I am going to be studying at the Sibelius Academy. New city, new flat, new people, new school and a new way of living!

Culture shock, was introduced for the first time in 1958 to describe the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment, for instance when entering a new culture. It can be describe culture shock as the physical and emotional discomfort one suffers when coming to live in another country or a place different from the place of origin. This term expresses the lack of direction, the feeling of not knowing what to do or how to do things in a new environment, and not knowing what is appropriate or inappropriate. Everything is different, for example, not speaking the language, not knowing how to greet people, not knowing how to use the public services and so forth.

My transition into Finnish culture was stressful and even lead to health problems. I have felt anxiety, disorientation, and frustration. Out of the blue, I found myself in the other corner of Europe with a sudden drop of temperature about 40 degrees Celsius. I was suddenly operating outside of my cultural comfort zone and I had to adapt to the new country and the local community with their own culture, language and values. Oh no! Where have I gotten myself into?

Self-discovery, however, is the greatest gift of culture shock. Discovering and questioning your own worldview, values and beliefs is a positive learning experience that creates an opportunity to broaden your perspective, understand yourself more deeply, learn how to negotiate and enjoy diversity, and stimulate personal creativity. On the other end of the spectrum, people might experience a loss of identity and lack of confidence. Immigrants often feel they are between two cultures and do not belong in any of them. They might feel lost, sad, and melancholic.

The factors, which contribute to the duration and effects of culture shock as it undergoes its stages, are the individual’s state of mental health, type of personality, previous experiences, socio-economic conditions, familiarity with the language, family and/or social support systems, and level of education. Sooner or later cultural adaptation is achieved and people are able to live well in the environment and acculturate to with the culture they are now part of. In order to get there here are some suggestions:

Suggestions for dealing with Culture Shock

o Develop a hobby. Enrol to an art course, swim, take a dance class, etc. This will help combat the sadness and loneliness in a constructive manner.

o Be patient. Give yourself time to adjust to your new life – remind yourself that this is not permanent and that you are part of a wonderful learning experience.

o Get to know the new culture. Learn the language. Get involved in community activities and events that allow you to practice the language, learn about the customs and meet new friends.

o Maintain contact with your ethnic group. This will give you a feeling of belonging and you will reduce your feelings of loneliness and alienation.

Notice: The article below is written for Uusi Rovaniemi newspaper, property of Lapin Kansa Oy.

We wake up one morning in December 2020. The sun is shining and the temperature is 35C. The air is dry and dusty. It has not rained since last spring. A simple pour would put the whole Greece in alert due to the catastrophic floods that would follow. This scenario is not fiction but the forthcoming future. In the past two decades more than 20 million acres of forest was lost due to fires in Greece. By the end of this summer thousands of acres of land and many wildlife species will have been turned to ashes.

Soon, the seasons will mutate into something we are unfamiliar with and we are going to experience severe pollution, lack of clean resources and the fear of eating and being exposed to the sun. Skin cancer is going to be a serious cause of death, similar to HIV nowadays. Deforestation and water famines are going to cause the temperature to rise and the spring mornings in the near future are going to remind us of today’s heat waves.

Human activity is the cause of global warming. Human beings are responsible for heavy industries’ waste, nuclear waste, pollution from automobiles and aeroplanes, wars, and mostly the indifference about measurements of protection. For instance, the refusal of the United States of America, the largest emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels, to ratify the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

It is undoubted that the decision for the usage of renewable sources of energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is political. However, every single one of us has to take action to prevent our planet from destruction. Our actions in every day life and our political and social awareness can have an impact.

Here are some disturbing facts:

o Over one billion people still lack access to clean water, and nearly two billion lack sanitation. Every year more than three million people still die from avoidable water-related diseases.

o Air pollution all kinds of damage, including forest damage from acid rain, loss of fish and other aquatic species from acidification, and reproductive failures caused by mercury in fish and in birds that eat fish.

o Worldwide approximately 250 million people become sick each year after eating contaminated fish or bathing or swimming in contaminated coastal waters.

o Worldwide, at least, 15589 species face extinction. However, this is certainly an underestimate, because it is based on assessments of only 3% of the world’s 1.9 million species that have been described. A majority of the world’s species have not been described.

o Although estimates vary to a great extent, the current extinction rates are at least one hundred to a thousand times higher than background, or ‘natural’ rates.